ark of the covenant

The Hebrew, Greek, and Latin that is sometimes translated as “ark of the covenant” in English (other English options: “pact chest” [translation by John Goldingay, 2018] or “Coffer of the Covenant” [translation by Everett Fox, 1995]) is translated in various ways:

  • Mairasi: Anasi Farjora or “Covenant Place” (source: Enggavoter 2004)
  • Uma: “Promise Box” (source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “Covenant Chest” (source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “Chest of the Agreement” (source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “Chest of the Initiated-agreement” (source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Danish Bibelen 2020: kisten med den hellige aftale or “chest with the holy agreement” (source: Ehrensvärd in HIPHIL Novum 8/2023, p. 81ff. )

Following is reverse applique stitching (“mola”) by an unknown Guna artist depicting the ark:

Source: Sacred Art Pilgrim website .

In American Sign Language it is translated with a sign that combines “box” and the wings of the cherubim on top of the ark (see Exod 25:18 and following). (Source: Ruth Anna Spooner, Ron Lawer)


“Ark of the covenant” in American Sign Language, source: Deaf Harbor

See also cherub and tabernacle (noun).

says the LORD / says the Lord GOD

The English that is translated as “says the Lord” or “says the Lord God” is translated in some influential French translations as oracle de Yahvé (La Bible de Jérusalem) oracle du Seigneur (Traduction œcuménique de la Bible), and oracle de l’Éternel (Nouvelle Version Segond Révisée 1978) or “oracle (authoritative statement) of YHWH (or: the Lord).”

Timothy Lloyd Wilt (in The Bible Translator 1999, p. 301ff. ) describes the Hebrew ne’um (adonay) YHWH (quoting S. Meier, 1992) as “a highly marked expression (…) Hebrew does not characteristically repunctuate quoted discourse with reminders of the quote’s source, making this particle’s function quite distinctive and certainly unique in its frequency and distribution.”

The French translations above are emulating this with their distinct wording containing the French oracle.

A language in West Africa, belonging to the Mande language family, uses honorifics. Rather than using the ordinary word for “say,” it uses a separate word that is only used for speech from God or his prophets.

Translation commentary on Jeremiah 3:16

When you have multiplied and increased in the land is translated “When you again increase and occupy the entire land” by Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch. The two verbs multiplied and increased mean exactly the same thing, and for many languages it will be best to use only one verb: “when you have become numerous” (Good News Translation).

Both Good News Translation and Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch render in those days by the adverb “when.” “At that time, when…” is more natural for some languages.

The pronouns you and they are used of the same people, and so New Jerusalem Bible and Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch have “you … no one.” “People” (Good News Translation) is also common.

Shall no more say (Good News Translation “no longer talk about”) may leave a false impression. The meaning is that the people will “no longer need to talk about” the symbol of the LORD’s presence (The ark of the covenant), because the LORD himself will be there with his people.

The ark of the covenant of the LORD poses two problems for translators. Ark can be rendered as “box” or “container.” Translators will generally have dealt with covenant before they get to this verse, but “agreement” and “alliance” are two common ways of translating it. “The box of the LORD’s agreement” or “the box of the LORD’s alliance with his people” are therefore possibilities. But a footnote or glossary description will really be needed, particularly pointing out that at that time it was the place where God met the people and gave them his laws. For a detailed description of the ark of the covenant, see Exo 25.10-22.

Come to mind is more literally “come upon [the] heart.” Good News Translation translates “think about” and New American Bible has “think of.”

Or be remembered is more literally “and they will not remember it.” Most translations retain the verb “remember,” which accurately reflects the Hebrew verb.

Or missed translates “and they will not miss [it].” Good News Translation has “they will not even need it.”

The Revised Standard Version text has it as the subject of these three verbs (come to mind, be remembered, missed), but if this is not natural, especially using the two passives, then something like “people won’t think about it, or remember it, or miss it” might be better.

It shall not be made again represents the literal form of the Hebrew, which may be better expressed as “nor will they make another one” (Good News Translation). Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch uses an impersonal construction equivalent to “and they will not make a new one.”

Quoted with permission from Newman, Barclay M. and Stine, Philip C. A Handbook on Jeremiah. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2003. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

formal second person plural pronoun

Like a number of other East Asian languages, Japanese uses a complex system of honorifics, i.e. a system where a number of different levels of politeness are expressed in language via words, word forms or grammatical constructs. These can range from addressing someone or referring to someone with contempt (very informal) to expressing the highest level of reference (as used in addressing or referring to God) or any number of levels in-between. One way Japanese show different degree of politeness is through the choice of a formal plural suffix to the second person pronoun (“you” and its various forms) as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017.

In these verses, anata-gata (あなたがた) is used, combining the second person pronoun anata and the plural suffix -gata to create a formal plural pronoun (“you” [plural] in English). (Source: S. E. Doi, see also S. E. Doi in Journal of Translation, 18/2022, p. 37ff. )